Gone
by Sophiepicklegirl
Summary: If all the signs of wealth were taken away, would their love survive? Babe. No Cupcakes were hurt in the making of this story.
1. Chapter 1

**Can't keep away from you, I'm afraid! I couldn't get this idea out of my head and it's based on what could have happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene... **

Ranger stood with his shoulders drooped in his office on five, his back to the door, gazing out of the window at the bright Trenton afternoon. His hands were crammed into his black cargo pant's pockets. Everything about posture looked defeated.

"Wassup, Bro'?" Tank's voice asked, breaking into Ranger's thoughts, making him spin round.

"I'm leaving, Tank."

"What?" Tank asked warily, sidling over to the large dark brown sofa that ran along one wall, sinking into its sumptuous leather.

Ranger sighed and sat down behind his desk where he closed down a window on his laptop before turning back to his friend. "You heard me, I'm leaving." His jaw clenched slightly as he finished the statement for a second time.

"Are you in the wind? When and where and how long?" Tank asked standing up quickly, not understanding the statement. "Dammit man, you told me you'd resigned six month's ago, did you lie to me?"

Ranger shook his head wearily in reply.

"Have you told Bomber yet?" Tank spat out disgustedly, arms folded across his broad chest.

"No, I'm not in the wind, I'm leaving. Trenton, Rangeman. Everything... Everyone... It's time to move on." Ranger replied blankly before turning to stand then look out of the window, effectively turning his back on his friend.

"I... I don't understand!" Tank replied, furrowing his brows as he walked over to join him. His anger, dissipating with every step, was being slowly replaced with concern.

"I'm done, finished, for all intense and purposes. Bankrupt." He turned to face Tank as the last word dripped heavily off his tongue. "Hurricane Irene and the sudden downturn in the economy has wiped me out and I'm practically penniless." He shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the window where he place his hand on the glass and leaned his head against his arm. "Where's Steph?" he added softly.

"She's out with Lula chasing a skip. Hector is monitoring them." Tank added softly.

Ranger nodded and turned as if to leave.

"Leave if you have to, but you'd better explain to me exactly what the fuck has happened before you go." Tank said calmly, placing a large paw on Ranger's arm. "Don't you think you owe Bomber an explanation too - before you run away? It's the least you can do before you break her heart." He added at a whisper. He could see what Ranger was about to do and hell, if he didn't hate him for it right now. He was pissed that Ranger felt he could run out on him, but Bomber? It would break her. Just when things were finally going their way.

"Hurricane Irene just took out all my New Jersey properties and as they were on the beach front I couldn't insure them. Now I can't even sell them. I've just had my stock broker on the phone who told me that all my stocks and bonds have just collapsed with no hope of recovery so there's no money to rebuild either.

"But how does that affect Rangeman?" Tank asked, a deep and real fear of losing his friend growing in his belly. Scenes of him throwing himself off the top of the building à la the 1930's collapse flittered through his head.

Ranger turned back to the window and began to stare at some point in the far distance. "I used all my other assets to buy out the other investors last year but we're currently losing business every week as another of our clients goes to the wall. I've been using the money from my last Black Ops assignment to keep the company afloat and pay the men." He sighed and closed his eyes. "That all ran out last week. I didn't want to say anything to anyone as I thought the beach fronts and my shares could be used while we restructured and perhaps shed some staff. Now I know I have to sell up to cover my losses, if I can do so in time." He added softly, dropping his forehead to the glass.

"But what about the properties in Miami?"

"Gone, I sold them last year to help fund the buy outs."

"The cars?"

"Leased, even the Porsche."

"Is there anything left?" Tank added hesitantly.

"Nothing, it's all gone. Pretty much all I own is what I'm wearing. Two week's time the banks will foreclose and after that..." he couldn't finish the sentence as the enormity of the situation swirled about him.

"Fuck." Tank said, sinking back against the glass and staring up at the ceiling, letting the back of his bald head fall against the cool window.

"Yeah, succinctly put." Ranger replied as he turned and gave his friend a wry smile before standing up and pushing back his shoulders. "Come on Pierre, might as well drink the assets before they're impounded!" He said brightly "I think I have a bottle or two of something really expensive in my drinks cabinet on 7. I think we need to commiserate."

"Fucking A." Tank said, too stunned by Ranger's revelations to take him to task for calling him by his given name.

Ranger pretended not to care as they walked silently up the stairs. All the time his heart was breaking as he realised that he would probably lose the thing he cared most for in all the world when the shit hit the fan. His heart stuttered as he thought of his life without Stephanie Michelle Plum in it.

o0o0o0o0o

Steph smiled at Connie as she handed over the dockets for her 5th, 6th and 7th skips of the week, giving her a big fat check to add to her growing bank account. With all the skills she'd picked up from the Merry Men and Carlos she'd pocketed a cool $42k for the month so far and there was over a week to go. Lula looked after the bottom end of the pile and she was now regularly picking up trickier, nastier skips with higher bonds which meant more reward money.

At the end of the month she'd be able to go talk to Val about setting up a couple of college funds for Angie and Mary Alice and as the thought skipped across her head, a warm feeling spread through her heart. She liked that she was going to be able to help someone less fortunate than herself. After all, since moving in with Ranger he'd refused to let her pay any of the bills for their penthouse on 7, saying that it was too difficult to separate them out and as there was only so much a girl can spend on a pair of shoes, she'd been stashing away money left, right and centre ever since. Coupled with the $350k she'd picked up for her share of collaring the in skip in Atlanta, she figured she had enough to even start talking potential Batcaves with Batman. Perhaps even Batbabies... It was time for their someday.

Grinning, she left TPD and headed back to Haywood and her wonderful, wonderful life.

A few minutes later she pulled into the underground and parked her 'Rangeman black' Explorer next to Ranger's pristine 911. Stepping out quickly she headed for the stairs. Yep, since becoming Ranger's significant 'other' she'd agreed to get fit, learnt a whole pile of self defense moves and even practiced with her guns. Waving at the camera she opened the door and started up the flight of stairs to her safe haven.

o0o0o0o0o

Tank lay on the floor as it seemed the safest option. He was seeing at least two of Ranger and three of the coffee table. He pressed his head into the back of the couch and sighed, contentedly. "Good idea, this, 'los!" he slurred out before moving slightly so that he could take another large swig of whisky "What are we celebrating, again?"

"My bankrupture." Ranger said happily as he slid off the couch to join Tank on the floor.

"Fabulous" Tank murmured, just before he passed out.

Ranger grinned at his partner in crime then picked up the virtually empty bottle of 40 Year Old Bruichladdich he'd been holding and tried to wring another few drops from inside before rolling it to join the others in the middle of the room. He could take his alcohol far better than his giant of a friend, but even he was not sure exactly how many TVs he had at that precise moment. He sighed deeply and closed his eyes, a big grin spreading across his very drunk face.

o0o0o0o0o

Wandering in, Steph dropped her keys into the small silver dish in the hall and hung her coat up. Slipping off her cat boots she padded into the kitchen to get a drink. A frown formed as she noticed the cupboard doors open and several empty chip and cracker packets on the counter. After a quick check on Rex who seemed perfectly happy in all the chaos, she ventured forth in search of some answers.

o0o0o0o0o

Ranger groaned at the soft hand that caressed his cheek and he leaned into the warmth.

"Carlos?" Steph said for the fourth time as she began to gently slap his cheek to see if she could get a reaction. "Please, Carlos, wake up!" He smiled and snuggled further back against the couch and started to drift back off into his stupor.

The last thing he heard was Steph telling Bobby that she couldn't wake 'him' up, whoever 'him' was. Hmm, not happy he thought lazily. He'd have to kill 'him' or send 'him' to a third world country when he woke up again. But right now he needed to sleep and it was all too much to think about he decided, as darkness engulfed him again.

o0o0o0o0o

Ranger woke up on his side in a darkened room feeling decidedly disjointed as a tube was pushed non-too gently down his throat, it quickly warmed up as liquid was poured down it. He blinked groggily, unable to push the hands that held him, as salty fluid reached his stomach, swirled round for a millisecond then rushed back up the tube, taking everything that it found with it. He watched with morbid fascination as the contents of his gut splattered noisily into a large opaque bucket. He groaned as another wave of nausea hit and he retched again, his body sweating with the abruptness and violence of his reactions. Every fibre of his being ached and he wondered where he was to be going through such horrendous torture. Perhaps the building had been stormed and 'him' was holding him hostage. He groaned as his stomach revolted again and he closed his eyes, desperate for the whole thing to stop.

Steph looked down at Ranger as he lay cradled in her arms. Through the whole stomach pumping process he hadn't even realised she's been holding him, caressing his brow, and trying to comfort him through the hurt.

She looked up as Bobby nodded that it was all over.

"Is he going to be OK?" she asked, tears coursing down her cheeks with worry.

"Yeah, he should sleep it off now. I'm going to set up a drip to avoid dehydration and give him a shot for the pain. He'll be fine by the morning."

Steph nodded her thanks. "And Tank?"

"Luckily he's more of a lightweight and didn't drink as much as Ranger so he'll just sleep it all off, but he's going to feel like hell when he comes round. They both drank far too much." he added looking worried as he inserted a canula into Ranger's arm and hung up a bag of fluid on the bed post before packing up the equipment he'd been using. "Les, Ram and Cal have taken Tank down to his apartment so I need to go sort him out too."

"Thanks Bobby."

"Yeah, s'ok." Came the sad reply from a very confused but blank faced Bobby.

o0o0o0o0o

Range tried to roll over but something had him pinned down. He wriggled but tired quickly as he realised he'd been drugged and pinned down. The effects of whatever drugs they'd used on him made him feel like shit but he knew he needed to get his bearings and quick! Opening his eyes caused pinpricks of light to inflict scalding pain through his head and he groaned involuntarily.

"Carlos? You ok?" Steph whispered in his ear.

"Shit!" he thought, they've got her too! He fought against the darkness but it pulled him back into his embrace. His final thought before passing out was "don't hurt her, you bastard!" and it was aimed at 'him'. He'd find out who 'him' was and make him pay if he so much as hurt a hair on his Babe's head.

**Hope you like the beginning of this one - it's only a short story, but do please let me know what you think :o)-**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, guys! Thanks for your wonderful comments and I'm really surprised and pleased at the number of you who've added this one, or me, to your alerts. If you put me on alert for the last chapter, why not drop me a line and let me know what you think once you've read this one (please...)**

**Oh and thanks to JerseySue for her comments on the different types of hurricane! I now know that what I've written about the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene is far from accurate, but please understand I live on a completely different continent ad we don't have the types of weather you have (luckily) so please pretend that Ranger could have lost everything, ok?**

**R&R, you know it makes sense and me type faster ;o)**

Tank rolled over and several seconds later his brain followed. He felt like something had used his mouth for a latrine and then put him in an oven to bake. Burying his head into a cool part of pillow seemed to help so he moved again, looking for relief.

He sensed he was not alone so angled his head round and carefully opened one eye only to see Lester crumpled in a chair in the corner. He was obviously on overdose alert.

"Sleeping Beauty awakes" Lester said dryly with a side order of sarcasm. "Looks like you'll be ok. How do you feel?" he asked as he stood up, stretched and stared down at his charge.

"Like shit."

"Good! You and Ranger had us all worried, especially Steph when she couldn't rouse either of you. What the fuck made you behave like that, anyway?"

"Gonna have to ask Ranger the answer to that one. Not my story to tell."

Lester gave Tank a long and curious look. "I'm outta here, Bro. I'll let Bobby know you're alive." He added as he left.

Tank rolled onto his back. The reality of the conversation with Ranger making him feel sick. Despite his body's protestations, he lurched off his bed and made it to the bathroom just in time to lose the contents of his stomach in the toilet.

"Fuck!" he growled out as he stood up and flushed the evidence away. He quickly stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the shower, hoping that the cold water would help to clear his mind as well as his body. Today he needed to come up with a plan to save the company he'd helped his best friend build.

o0o0o0o0o

As Lester headed past Ranger's office en route for his own, he heard his cousin's desk phone ring. Looking round to see if anyone noticed he slipped in, shut the door and picked up the receiver.

"Yo" he said, trying to sound very much like his cousin.

"Jacob here, Ric. I've got the figures you asked for. And whichever way I turn it, it doesn't look good." The voice at the other end said.

"What's the best we can hope for?" Lester said, hoping that it was the right answer. Something was very definitely up and he was sure it was bad. Very, very bad. "Go on" he added, cautiously.

"You're gonna have to file for bankruptcy. I just can't see how you can keep Rangeman solvent any longer, you've nothing left to sell off of significant value to cover much more than the wage bill for next month..."

"Fuck!" Lester sighed out softly as the words hit him. Hard.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. We may be able to salvage something, maybe Miami if we're really lucky, but the rest..."

"Timescale? And if we had a miracle, how much, exactly, would we be talking about?"

"Well, the banks are threatening to lock the doors on the 31st, but if we had maybe $1.8 mil then we could pull you back from the brink long enough to get new partners on board. Perhaps."

Lester stared at the phone.

"Ric? You still there?"

"Yeah, just wondering if I have enough to buy a Lottery ticket!"

"Sorry, man. I've done everything I can, but it's all over."

"Yeah, well, thanks anyway." Lester said as he put the phone down.

He sat for a few minutes as the conversation swilled round his head. It would all be gone, Rangeman, the core team, everything. He thought about how much money he'd put aside and he'd been very careful, but... $1.8? "Fuck!" he hissed out. Where on earth could he get that kind of money to help his friend rebuild?

o0o0o0o0o

Ranger opened his eyes and squinted at the light that sneaked through the blinds, leaving orderly patterns across the walls.

He tried to raise his head, but somehow his neck muscles refused to obey him. Twisting slightly he spotted the tube and empty bag hanging from the bed post and traced it back to his wrist.

"WTF?" he growled out.

Shifting slightly he wondered where 'him' was and what was in the IV bag. As these thoughts ran through his woolly, fog filled head he realised he was lying in his bed on 7. How the fuck had Haywood been infiltrated he wondered.

He blinked as his musings were interrupted by sounds coming from outside the room. Where was Steph? He wondered. What had they done with her, if they'd hurt her...

Suddenly Steph's head peered round the door. "Wondered when you'd wake up" she said a bit too brightly, a false smile doing nothing to hide the concern plastered on her face.

"Babe" he croaked out "You OK?" he asked, extending his arm out to her.

"Ok Carlos." Steph said as she slipped across the room and sat down on the covers "what the hell happened yesterday that made you drink nearly three full bottles of very expensive whisky?" she stroked his hair away from his face. "I thought I'd lost you." She added softly. "We had to pump your stomach..." She quickly removed the canula as Bobby had shown her and placed a padded bandage over the hole in his wrist.

As she rambled on, last night's drinking binge suddenly came back into clarity and Ranger turned a very strange colour that bordered on green "Bucket" was all he could say as he turned towards the edge of the bed.

Steph held his hair back as he dry heaved into the bowl she held out for him. He felt sick to the core and it had nothing to do with the mother of all hangovers he was now experiencing. Today was the day he was sure he'd lose the love of his life.

o0o0o0o0o

Lester stormed back into Tank's bedroom, slamming the door violently as he entered. "Tell me the truth, _Pierre_." He sneered out as he stormed over to Tank's prostrate, but now significantly sweeter smelling, form "Am I going to have a job in a month's time?" he asked as he rolled Tank over onto his back and shoved his face close to the man on the bed's so that they were nose to nose.

"No" Tank rasped out as he blinked at the honesty of his reply then turned away and closed his eyes, trying to avoid the man inches away from him.

"How long have you known? How the hell did you two think you could keep this away from me, from Bomber, hell from every man and woman who has given their life to this company? What the hell happened? I want answers and I want them NOW!" he ground out, trying to hold his temper in check.

Tank groaned and held his hand up to shield his eyes. "Ranger told me he was leaving yesterday and I demanded that he tell me why. Once he'd finished we went up to 7 to drink as much of his ridiculously expensive whisky as we could so that the bank couldn't seize it. I think we underestimated how much he had stashed away." He blushed as he told Lester what had happened. It sounded like a really good idea at the time, but now? Not so much.

Lester stared at him. "I've just taken a phone call from the Rangeman accountant who thought I was my cousin. Didn't want to burst his bubble so played along. According to him we need to find $1.8 million dollars and in the next two weeks. Do we know anyone who can predict the future because unless we win the lottery Rangeman is done for."

"I know, don't I fucking know." Came the strained reply.

"What about Bomber? Does she have a clue?"

"Ranger was going to run away and my guess is that he had no intention of telling her. Least if he feels as ugly as I do he'll have to stay around long enough to explain himself." He sighed loudly. "God! What a complete FUBAR situation!" he sighed out.

"You're not kidding! Ok! I need for you to stop wallowing in your pit and get up. Now! We've got a business and a couple of friends to save and we're running out of time." He said as he disappeared into the bathroom. Moments later he returned with a large bowl of cold water which he proceeded to dump over his friend. "Pity party's over, Tank, time to face the music."

o0o0o0o0o

Steph looked down at the man who held her heart as he stopped retching then sank gratefully back into the soft pillows.

"Please." Steph said as she ran her hand across his brow and down his beautiful but pale face. "I need to know what the hell happened. Did somebody die? Perhaps a skip gone wrong! One of your nephews get caught with drugs... what caused the pain that led to the drinking binge?..."

Ranger closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Not only so that he could think of how to answer Steph but because it seemed to stop the room spinning.

Steph stood up. Taking his silence to mean that he wasn't going to tell her. "Fine, play it that way. But you do know I _will_ find out, don't you?" she added harshly as she stepped away from the bed and towards the door.

"Babe..." Ranger whispered. No response. "Babe, please." He added, hoping that this time she would stand still enough for him to focus on her. "Babe, I need a glass of water and perhaps 'the cure' if I'm gonna be able to tell you the awful, God-honest truth."

Steph turned round sharply "Oh, my God! You've found someone else!" she whispered as she sagged against the door frame, her back to the wall.

"Babe? Babe! Please, Babe, look at me!" he tried to command. The order may have lacked its usual force, but she turned her face to him.

"It's not that." He replied croakily. "It's far worse." A single tear trickled down his face causing Steph's breath to hitch. "I'm bankrupt and Rangeman is about to go to the wall."

Silence filled the room as she took in what he'd just said. "Sorry. Could you repeat that?" she finally said.

"I'm bankrupt. It's all gone. We've got two weeks then the banks will foreclose and Rangeman will cease to exist and we'll be living in a box under the arches."

Steph looked at him, her eyes boring into him "Seriously?"

"Yeah, I couldn't even try to make up this kinda story." He added softly. "It's all gone, everything and unless I can magic up a ridiculously huge sum of money by just after the next pay day at the end of the month I've nothing left to pay the bills with.

Steph gave him a long look then peeled herself off the architrave and left the room, returning a few moments later with the apartment phone in her hand. "Ella?"

"..."

"Hi, can you please bring up any large suitcases you have, please."

"..."

"Oh, and can you get one of the guys to get a double portion of the cure each for Tank and Ranger, a-sap, please."

"..."

"Thanks, see you in a few."

Then she strode purposefully over to the closet and started rifling through.

"Please Babe." Ranger said, trying to pull himself up off the bed. The hangover he was sporting refused to let him have full access to his limbs so he only managed to get himself to an upright position.

"Please Babe..." Ranger said with a pleading voice.

Steph whirled round and gave him a 'Burg glare which pinned him to the bed and caused his heart to shrivel. At that moment, all his worst fears came tumbling out. Mustering all the strength he could he staggered out of bed and fell at her knees, clinging onto her legs for dear life.

"What on earth are you doing, Carlos?" Steph asked, a bewildered look on her face.

"Please don't leave me! I'll make it up to you, I promise!" He whispered, his voice trembling. Steph pulled herself out of his embrace and knelt down but before she could say anything he threw himself into her arms and wept like a baby.

"Hey, Batman" she said gently, stroking his hair as his fetid, hungover breath and alcohol laden sweat enveloped her but she didn't care. All that mattered was the broken man in her arms. The man she would gladly die for. "It's going to be ok. Ok?" she said with utter conviction. Whether or not he heard her she couldn't tell as he continued to sob in her arms.

Mentally snorting, she decided that not only was today going to a long one, but definitely a day to go down in history. Their current role reversal probably one she'd never witness again. She'd always thought he was the strong one and in every way he usually was. But right now, she needed to be his rock and it was a task that both humbled her and filled her with joy as she gladly took it on without a second's hesitation.

Thinking back to the last time she'd cried like a baby, she remembered how Ranger calmed her with Spanish, so she started whispering words of comfort in Italian as she stroked his head and it wasn't long before he started to relax in her arms.

The door bell rang, breaking into the little bubble they'd created round themselves and Steph eased herself out of his arms. "I'll be back, OK? Don't move!" she added, shaking her finger at him as she went to see who was at the door.

A few moments later she returned with a MacDonalds bag and two large suitcases. The first she dumped on the nightstand and the other two she wheeled over to the closet.

"Come on." She coaxed "Back to bed with you, eh?" she added before draping one muscular arm round her shoulder and helping him to stand.

Once he was back in bed she handed him the magic potion brewed by Ronald then snapped open one of the suitcases and starting carefully folding some of the clothes from her closet into it.

Ranger watched her for a few moments, taking fists full of fries and stuffing them in like a man who'd never seen food before. Steph watched out of the corner of her and eye and swore he moaned a couple of times. She grinned inside and carried on as she hadn't noticed.

Neither spoke as she filled the first case then turned to the second.

"Please don't leave me." Ranger said quietly after he'd nearly consumed everything.

Steph turned and looked at him "What on earth are you talking about?" she asked as if it was as clear as day what she was doing. Padding over to the bed in her sock covered feet she sat down and took his face between her hands. "WE need to make some money and fast and we'll start with all this expensive stuff! Mom has gotten good at selling things on Ebay so I'm sure she'll be able to get some good money for it."

A cloud crossed Ranger's face. "You can't do that!" he said angrily. "I bought it all for you to show you how much I love you!"

Steph kissed him to stop his from saying anything he might regret or she might not want to hear. Pulling away once she knew he wouldn't interrupt her again she added "I only ever wanted three things from you: your trust, your heart and your bed linen and I'll be dammed if I'm going to give up any of them!"

Ranger gave her a look of wonder and love. "I'm so sorry for not telling you." He said "But I thought I could fix this without letting anyone know how bad it was." He leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching. "I'm so very, very proud of you, Babe." He added before kissing her tenderly. She sighed against his lips so he pulled her closer to deepen it.

Pulling away, Steph grimaced. "Much as I love you, Carlos Manoso, you stink and your breath is beyond revolting. I think you need to go clean up."

Ranger, much invigorated by the cure, gave her a nearly full on wolf grin and waggled his eyebrows carefully "Have I told you how good I am in the shower?"


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. As some of you know, I've been in hospital but I'm ok now (thanks for your lovely words of concern, you know who you are). Just having to take it easy (it's amazing what I'll do to get out of doing the housework!) Anyway, the chest pains were not the result of a heart attack as was suspected, but I've had to slow down. A lot. Luckily for you I will still keep writing and reviewing, but it may take a little longer to get each chapter up. Fingers crossed we can still go to Australia (24 hours from here) for a month at Christmas, but I've got to have more tests before we'll know if I can fly...

o0o0o0o0o

You know the hardest thing for a writer is to get no feedback so, not surprisingly most of the people who provide it are themselves writers.

I've had more alerts than the combined number of reviews for both chapters of this story so far which is so frustrating! If you're not a writer, you cannot begin to understand how much reviews give us the energy and encouragement to continue. We spend hours mulling over what to write and how to put it down on paper, so I would ask you to please spend the 20 or so seconds it takes to let us know what you think! Plus it helps others assess whether they want to bother reading a story – if it's had lots of reviews they'll take the time, otherwise they'll skip over it, so you'll be helping future fanfic readers.

Please...

OK, rant over, it's back to Hangover City (aka Haywood) for more doom and gloom!

;oP

Stepping into the shower, Ranger felt the warm water cleanse away the putrid aftermath of his pity party. Suddenly his mind flashed back to the previous night when he'd been compos mentis long enough to think he'd been captured:

_His final thought before passing out was "don't hurt her, you bastard!" and it was aimed at 'him'. He'd find out who 'him' was and make him pay if he so much as hurt a hair on his Babe's head. _

He hung his head in shame as reality struck.

Carlos Ricardo Manoso had been 'him' and if he'd not had a run in with Tank and a couple of bottles of 40 year old whisky he'd have been long gone by now.

He'd have been the one to hurt her...

His stomach churned at what might have been "Oh, my God! What have I done?" he whispered as he sank to his knees and thanked which ever Gods were listening for his impromptu drinking binge.

o0o0o0o0o

While Ranger was in the shower, Steph made a couple of phone calls then returned to thinning out the closet. Once she'd filled the suitcases, she pulled out all her shoes, still in their boxes, some never even worn. All the top end ones - Choo, louboutin, Blahnik - were added to the stack that she'd sell off without so much as a backward glance.

Well, OK, maybe she'd have a pity party later.

She'd just not tell Lula - _she'd_ have a coronary.

As she finished and headed over to the dresser where her jewellery was stored, Ranger walked out of the bathroom with a towel round his waist, patting his hair dry. Without saying a word he watched her as she focused on her jewellery box. He moved up behind her and kissed her head.

"You need to get dressed, we're about to have some visitors." She warned gently but with command in her voice as she reached behind her and patted the first bit of him she could find. The top of his thigh felt warm and strong through his towel and she drew on the strength he unwittingly exuded.

"No need to dress up though." She added gently, then returned to her hunt. Moments later she pulled out a couple of beautiful gold necklaces "I think we can do without these. What do you think?" she asked turning round and holding up the Tiffany pieces she was referring to. He leaned forward and nodded into her neck then walked away and over to the closet where he pulled out dark grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt.

o0o0o0o0o

"Hi Les, What's new? Any broken bones, gunshot wounds, STD tests?"

Les snickered slightly before sobering up "worse than that. Are you free if I pop down?"

"Kinda slow my end, just reading up on alcohol abuse and what signs to look out for."

"Think that was a one-off situation and I think I know the cause. I'll be down in five to explain."

o0o0o0o0o

"You sure?" Bobby gasped out, shock etched across his dark features.

"Yeah, and we need $1.8 mil to dig him and Rangeman out of the shit."

"Well, I've got a few green back stashed away but not that much – fuck, I love it here, man! Who else would employ a bunch of misfits like us with our rep?" He ran a hand over his screen saver showing a picture of the core team, plus Steph, goofing around on the beach a few months back. Just about the time Bomber finally moved in with Ranger on 7.

"Ditto man, got any ideas?"

Silence settled over then as the concept of breaking up the team hit them only to be broken moments later by Bobby's phone ringing.

"Hi Bomber."

"..."

"Yeah, he's here too."

"..."

"Ok, will do. Up in two."

Les tilted his head, the Rangeman equivalent of 'spill the beans.'

"Steph's calling an emergency meeting on 7. Core team. Operation Overhaul is about to have its first planning meeting."

Les nodded. "Ok then. Let's head on up, oh and don't forget your shovel."

O0o0o0o0o

Jacob Brickman is on his way up." Steph said to the five people who'd just sat down round the dining room table. "I believe" she added "that the core team is made up of more than the four of you and what you do." She said, waving at Ranger, Tank, Bobby and Lester "and should include the buildings and their maintenance as well, hence Luis' attendance."

The men round the table nodded their head in agreement, after all, there were four buildings each filled with offices and accommodation. Luis knew more than anyone else in the room about each and every one of them.

A knock on the door heralded the accountant's arrival so she stepped away from the others to go and let him in.

"She's fantastic, Cuz" Lester whispered a look of wonder and awe on his face.

"You don't know the half of it." Ranger replied blankly as they watched Jacob follow her back in.

Once he was settled and plied with coffee and pastries, Jacob laid out a stack of paper, pen, notepad and a calculator and cleared his throat.

Steepling his fingers in front of him, Jacob looked round the room "As I see it, unless we can find $1.4 million the banks will foreclose and Rangeman will cease to exist on the 1st of next month. Ideally, we need $1.8 to get them completely off our backs, but I reckon if we can somehow raise the lesser figure we may be able to placate them. Plus if we can put together an action plan for the way forward we may yet come out the other side of this intact.

"Currently we have enough cash to pay the wages for this next pay check run but it doesn't leave us with a lot left over. In the bank's eyes we don't have enough to fund any future fixed let alone variable costs such as wages so the business will cease trading and they will sell off all existing assets, including this building in order to pay the men and honour any outstanding debts." He took off his glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose then scanned the faces before him. "I mentioned the lower figure as I think they might be amenable at this late hour, to come to some sort of compromise but we would still need to find $1.4 before I could consider suggesting a meeting with them."

Ranger hung his head and took in a deep and very audible breath. Steph leaned forward and squeezed his fists which he'd clenched together in front of him on the table. "Don't panic just yet" she whispered as she turned her head to Brickman.

"Ok, Jacob, I feel a Despicable Me moment coming on." Smirking internally, she waited for someone round the table to drop their confused face and ask her what on earth she was talking about. Jacob grinned as the penny dropped and raised an eyebrow. He was not going to be of any help here she realised. She grinned back at him and carried on waiting.

"Lost me, Beautiful" Lester finally chuckled out, clearly intrigued by her statement.

"Yeah, me too." Bobby added.

Steph smiled indulgently "In the film Despicable Me there are two baddies, both trying to steal the moon. One is the son of the head of the underworld's bank so Daddy agrees to fund his venture and turns the other villain, Gru, down flat. Gru goes back to his fiendish lair all despondent but the minions who work for him all start emptying out their piggy banks and pockets and find, in amongst the sweetie wrappers and trinkets, that they have enough to build a rocket to get them to the moon. The reason? He's discovered he has a soft and cuddly side, thanks to three little girls he adopts at the beginning of the film and his minions start to see him for what he really is."

She leant forward in her chair "Ranger, everyone round this table loves the company you have created. They respect and admire you as a leader and would be gutted if they didn't have the jobs they've come to love, among the people who they have a deep affinity with. For once, accept the help from those who work for you, because if you asked anyone in this company to raid their piggy banks for you, they would, I bet you a large plate of pineapple upside down cake on that."

Turning back to a now stunned Brickman she said "OK, Jacob, I've been through my closets and reckon there's gotta be $15 to $20 grand's worth of designer clothes and shoes plus up to another $18 grand's worth of jewellery. My Mom is a whizz on Ebay and could sell most of it for us in just over a week. That's a start."

A few sucks of breath emanated round the table as everyone registered what she'd just said. Ranger groaned out "Babe" but she squeezed his hand and continued. "I've also got a few bucks squirreled away, how does $800 grand sound as a starting figure?"

Ranger's head snapped up and his hawk-like eyes studied her with awe. "Wow, I knew you'd gotten good, but..."

"What?" she interrupted with an innocent look on her face "There's only so many pairs of shoes a girl can buy so I've been saving it. I had a few ideas of what to do with it, including setting up a college fund for Val's kids but, well, I think they'll understand if I don't."

Les broke the stunned silence "Bomber! I knew you were more than just a beautiful face!" he winked out at Ranger, hoping for a reaction. He was not disappointed as his cousin glared at him and covered her hand with his own.

"Mine!" he growled out, twining his fingers through hers.

Lester grinned then added "I've probably got close to $80k saved – I was going to use it as a down payment on a condo but as I haven't seen anything I like it makes perfect sense to invest in my own future. It's yours if you need it."

Jacob added the figures together and raise his head "anyone else gonna be a minion?" He asked, smiling with anticipation. Ranger gave him a look "you need to see the film, Gru, er I mean Carlos. That's all I'm saying."

"I've got about $300,000 I can lay my hands on " said Tank abruptly with a nod of his head before leaning back and crossing his arms.

"I can pull together about $150,000. My Mom gave me some money when my Dad died last year" added Bobby almost as Tank finished.

"Wow, guys, I'm humbled, but you can't risk your money for me." Said a stunned looking Ranger.

"Bullshit!" Growled out Tank as he slammed his hands down on the table, making everyone jump. "After what we've been through together, you still don't seem to know Jack shit about loyalty and how much you inspire it in us." He leant across the table "But what I hate most about this situation is that you kept it all from us! As Lula would say you've got some 'splainin' to do..." He gave Ranger a look that would have made a lesser man piss himself then leant back as he watched his friend swallow hard. Good! The big man thought as he crossed his arms.

Ranger took a long look at his second in command and an unspoken conversation took place between them. A new strength seemed to emanate from him as he turned to Brickman "Would it be enough?" he asked, hopefully.

"Close but no cigar" came the reply as he tapped away on his calculator and looked at the balance sheet summary in front of him. "Another $50 or $60 and I'm sure we could broke a deal.

Luis, who until that moment had been silent piped up "Consider it covered" which made all eyes turn sharply in his direction. "Ella and I have simple needs and so have 'squirreled a few bucks away' as Steph would say" he explained, grinning at Steph.

Jacob nodded his approval "I'll have to play with some figures but should be able to re-present our case to the bank on Tuesday. We should know by Friday. Keep everything crossed." He added. A small but determined grin on his face. He too enjoyed being a Rangeman. The strength and vibrancy of the bond between the men he worked with kept him young and reminded him of his own early years. Retired Air Force, he lapped up the buzz he got from the men and their exploits. He would miss it badly if it was all taken away from him. He had few savings but would offer up every last cent of the $35,000 or so he could lay his hands on if it helped. Yeah, he too was an adoring minion.

They were not out of the woods yet, even with the cash injection. So thoughts turned to what they would have to do.

They would need to restructure.

Luis was tasked with getting on-going building and maintenance costs down, Steph with negotiating all future contracts and revisiting existing work to see if they needed to put their charges up or change the package being offered. Bobby and Lester would look into the cost of supplies, both when in the field or in the offices and Ranger and Tank would analyse personnel, training and transport.

One big thing that was agreed on was that huge bonuses would have to be toned right down as it was one of the reasons for the cash flow problems. Financial remunerations would remain but at a lower percentage - they would find another way to compensate the men for their hard work.

If what Steph alluded to was correct, Ranger realised, then the men would accept the changes willingly rather than lose the company they'd all worked so hard for.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi Guys. Thanks so much for your wonderful reviews and words of concern. I swear I'm just faking everything for sympathy but will get the CT angiogram results this week (you don't them quite so quickly here in the UK as you seem to do in the US) so keep your fingers crossed.**

**Anyway, let's see what the gang are up to, shall we?**

**;o)**

Ranger shut the door on the last of the visitors and leant his head against the cold surface and thought about the day's events.

He'd been overwhelmed and humbled by the combined determination of his friends and his Babe.

Admittedly he'd have to go back to having partners but he was more than happy to do so, now that they were no longer nameless, faceless investors, but people who cared about Rangeman, its people and its culture. A smile spread across his face as he thanked his lucky stars for the individuals he had the privilege of calling friends.

He heard her footsteps gently crossing the carpet then a pair of warm hands pressed gently against his back before travelling round his torso and settling up on his pecs. As they reached their goal, he was enveloped in warmth as Steph moulded herself to his lower back and began to lightly feather his shoulder blades with kisses. He remained still, leant against the wall, and relaxed under her ministrations.

"Now" she began "about that trust thing." kiss "if" kiss "you" kiss "_ever_" kiss "cut me out again" kiss "it'll be more than your company you'll lose." Kiss "Can you sing" kiss "soprano?" kiss "capiche?"

He nodded and gently turned in her arms. Looking down at her he smiled "Capiche, Babe." He replied as he gently held her face in his large hand and leant in for a kiss. "Thank you for everything." He added as his love for her shone from his eyes.

"Why, Ranger?" she asked simply as she gazed into the love.

"Why, what?"

"Why did you shut me out?"

Ranger sighed, looking sheepish, as he stared intently down at the woman who'd stolen his heart so very long ago and began to caress her cheeks with his thumbs before touching her forehead with his own. "I thought you wouldn't want me if I couldn't offer you what you've always known me to have." He admitted softly, pulling back to study her face as he finished his confession.

"Like I said before you idiot, all I need is your heart, your trust and your sinful sheets, nothing more. Do you really think I care about the trappings? Yeah, they make everything more comfortable, more pretty but it's what's _inside_ that counts." She prodded his chest for emphasis "Why do you think the core team, hell _all_ the men and women at Rangeman, want to help? Want to be there for YOU?"

"Tank let it spill that you'd planned on skipping out, abandoning us all. Well guess what? I'd have hunted your sorry ass down and given you a piece of my mind. Dammit I love you! You are so much a part of me. Don't ever think I can live without you, I'd rather die than have you gone from my life and if that meant living under the arches in a cardboard box, I'd glady do it." She said, her voice softely gaining in strength with each sentence. She gave him her best 'Burg glare.

She gave out a long sigh "As long as I got wrapped up in you and your bed linen every night." She added gently with a wink.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" he asked with awe in his voice and wonder in his eyes. He pulled her back towards him and whispered something in Spanish as he leant down for a kiss. It started off gentle but became more intense, not sexual, but driven by a need to know how much she meant to him "I'm so sorry for not believing in you" he whispered then kissed her again.

As the kiss ended, he grabbed her hand and tugged her to make her follow him into the bedroom. Moving across to the closet he knelt down in front of the safe.

"No more secrets" he stated as he let go of her hand and dialled the numbers to open it up – it was the date they met. He grinned up at her as he poked about blindly until he reached what he was looking for.

Pulling out a tiny ring box he turned and pulled her down to her knees facing him

"Babe, you have astounded me with your fierceness of faith today. You have proved once again how much this idiot of a man needs you. I love you so much and need you more, will you marry me?" As he finished he slid a huge solitaire diamond ring onto her ring finger, pausing just past the first knuckle as he looked to her for confirmation.

"No" she replied, smiling up at him as she pushed it home. He knit his brows as a look of confusion crossed his face.

"Not yet, anyway. We're not out of trouble yet Buster and I want to keep this, and you, forever. If we were married it could be classed as one of your assets and I wouldn't want the banks to seize it." She said by way of explanation. Before he could say anything, she kissed him hard. Pushing him down onto the soft deep carpet she straddled his waist and ground herself against him. "However, once this is all in the past, I'm all yours. Forever."

Suddenly she stood up and tried to tug him upwards and towards the lounge but he just lay on the floor, confused. "Babe, I thought we might celebrate..." he said as he rolled onto his side and raised up onto a bent arm before cupping himself and tipping his head towards the bed.

"Later, Gru. You need to watch a film I've got about a badass who wants to steal the moon first. Then, when you fully understand how important you are, _then_ we celebrate, capiche?"

Ranger smirked, rolled to his feet and gestured for her to lead the way.

Hours later as they lay tangled between sinfully soft bed sheets, Ranger rolled over and laid his head on her stomach. "One day I want to fill this space with our child so that when it's born I can tell it how amazing its Mom is." He said quietly as tears cascaded down his face and onto her skin.

"Good idea." Steph replied huskily as she stroked his hair. The air was full of tension as they both contemplated the past 24 hours and they lay listening to each other's breathing until they fell asleep and dreamt of better days to come.

o0o0o0o0o

Ranger stepped into the gym expecting to be the first one to break the silence of the dawn-filled room.

It was 4.55 in the morning and usually he'd be on his own for at least 15 to 20 minutes. He reckoned he had just enough time to think through and really absorb the conversations he'd had throughout the previous day. Flicking on the switch he took in a deep breath as he looked at the three men who were silently warming up on the mats.

"I think it's time to beat some sense into him. Waddya think?" Tank said as he turned to Lester and Bobby, sinuously stretching out his huge neck. The three of them stood nodding and watched as Ranger took a deep breath and walked towards the lesson he had coming.

One that he so richly deserved.

o0o0o0o0o

Steph woke and turned to find herself alone, the sheets next to her were cold and the alarm clock cheerfully blinked that it was nearly 5.20.

In.

The.

Morning...

She sighed as her thoughts wandered to the gym where Ranger was probably pounding the treadmill or lifting weights. Rolling out of bed she walked into the office and pulled up the feeds for the building to verify her suspicions. One was off-line...

A snort slipped out of her lips as she figured what was happening to her man in black. Right now she had a feeling he was being given a tutorial in humility by three of his new business partners. She chuckled and went in search of the first aid kit before throwing on some clothes and wandering down to assess the damage.

Exiting the elevator she heard grunts of pain and exertion and fobbed the locked gym doors open so that she could watch the show. Ranger was in the middle of the sparring area with three very focused badass motherfuckers who were currently nipping at his heels. Every now and then one of the four men would land a punch or kick that would have pole axed less skilled combatants but even to her untrained eyes Steph could see Ranger would have had no trouble with one or maybe even two of his opponents, but that he was slowing down under the onslaught of all three of them.

Ranger must have seen her out of the corner of his eye as he hesitated long enough for Bobby to go for the kill. Moments later his legs were taken out from under him by a particularly ferocious scissor kick and Tank was lying on top of him, pinning him down.

"Uncle?" Tank gasped out at the flattened man beneath him.

"Uncle..." came the muted reply.

Tank grunted and rolled of him "Thank Fuck for that" he muttered under his breath as he lifted himself off the floor and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Beautiful. What brings you down here?" asked an all too energetic and happy Lester.

"Thought I'd come and see how my boys were doing!" she giggled out, waving an ice pack and tube of arnica at him. His grin widened as he stepped over Ranger who was still lying on his back with one arm bent across his face catching his breath. Bobby and Tank followed hot on his heels, arms stretched out for the first aid Steph was waving at them.

"Have you boys sorted out your little tiff?" she asked with an innocent look on her face as she started handing out items from her kit bag.

Ranger nodded as he hauled himself off the floor and joined the group. "Yeah, I think I've got it now." He said, rubbing the back of his head where Bobby had just slapped him.

"Good!" she added as she handed out the last of her salves with her left hand. "We've got a company to save."

Lester grabbed her left hand and looked at the ring she was sporting. "Wow, Bomber, like the merchandise." He said, whistling his approval as he turned her hand so that the diamond caught the light, sending out shafts of colour as it sparkled.

"So, you forgive him, huh?" Bobby said, grinning at her as he gave her a hot sweaty hug then gave Ranger the 'if you hurt her again, I'll kill you' look.

"Yeah. I'm addicted to his sheets and as he comes with them, I'll just have to slum it and take the whole package." She replied winking as she pulled away and held her nose in mock horror at Bobby's sweatiness.

Everyone laughed as Ranger enfolded her into his arms from behind. "Congrats, Guys!" Tank said, hitting Ranger hard in the arm as if to say 'if you hurt her again, I'll kill you' before walking past and towards the door.

"I get it, guys" Ranger sighed out, melodramatically as he kissed her neck and nuzzled her hair. "If I hurt her again, you'll all kill me... I get it, Okay?"

Steph giggled into his chest, convinced Ranger had just pouted "Come on, Batman, let's go sort out your boo boos."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi guys, thanks so much for all the wonderful comments and words of encouragement which you've so kindly left me. Seems you like the idea of a more dominant Steph and more vulnerable Ranger...**

**I got the all clear from the specialist (well, nearly. He still wants to do one final test to determine why I'm so tired) so our holiday to Australia is a go-er. To celebrate I thought I'd better bang out another chapter for your enjoyment.**

**Please, as ever, R&R it all makes my day!**

Later that morning Steph pulled up outside her parent's house and saw, much to her amazement, that Helen and Edna were standing by the front door, waiting for her. Her Mother was smoothing her skirt down over her thighs, something she tended to do when she was worried but had no access to her iron... or liquor cupboard.

"Mom? Grandma?" Steph said as she got out and headed up to the front door. She'd never worked out how her mother knew she was coming – did she get the same early warning tingles that Ranger gave her?

Hmm, something to think about in a quieter moment.

She mentally snorted, like she'd have any of those for a while.

"Don't worry, that man with the package gave us the heads up." Grandma quipped happily, cutting into her Granddaughter's thoughts and blowing her theory out of the water as she reached the front step. She ran her tongue over her teeth then gave Steph a leery grin.

"Mom!" Helen admonished, giving her mother a small jab with her elbow. "He's called Ranger. Isn't he Dear?" she said, giving Steph a long look. "I'll go get your Father, he'll help you with the suitcases." She added as she disappeared back into the house looking for Frank.

A few minutes later everything was in the house and Helen looked like she'd died and gone to heaven as she picked up a rather beautiful pair of silver 3 inch heel strappy sandals. "Shame we're not the same size" she said wistfully as she turned them over and gazed in wonder at the unmarked bright red soles.

"So why are we selling this, exactly?" Edna asked as she held a deep blue jersey gown up against her own body which was clad in a bright green jersey sweat pant suit. Each garment screamed 'go away!' at its immediate neighbour.

"Rangeman is having a hard time financially, so I thought I'd contribute to the cause" Steph said as she nibbled her bottom lip and looked down. She knew if she looked up she'd be busted.

"It's far worse than that, isn't it?" Helen said softly, cocking her head to one side and looking down at Steph's hands which were unconsciously caressing a particularly soft cashmere cardigan. "Hey? What's that on your finger?" she said as she reached out and grabbed Steph's left hand. For the second time that day the diamond burst into song and sparkled with life and fire on her finger.

Steph giggled as she looked at the wonder on her mother's face. "In amongst the shit hitting the fan, I somehow got nearly engaged last night." She grinned out goofily. "I'm not sure whether it's safe on my hand, but it beats the banks selling it off as an asset." She added.

"_Almost_ engaged?"

"Well, technically I turned Ranger down, but once this mess has been sorted out, we'll get engaged properly. I suppose I should really put it on the other hand."

"Was it given to you with a question?" Edna asked with a passionate, fierce look on her face.

"Yeah." Steph replied cautiously, not sure where her Grandmother was going with her line of enquiry.

"And did you both swear your undying love?"

"MmmHmm... but I didn't agree to marry him. Yet, anyways."

"Doesn't matter. You both know what the answer would be if the banks weren't about to foreclose on Rangeman, don't you?" Edna stated smugly.

"What! You know about the bankruptcy issue. If you know, who else does! I need to tell Ranger..."

"Woah, Grandbaby! Slow down!" Edna said, putting her hand on Steph's shoulder. "That nice Mr Santos also called this morning to tell us you were on your way and the reason why. Figured Ranger wouldn't give us the full dirt himself but felt we needed to know so that your Mom would hold out for a good price on Ebay. No one in the Burg knows, and for once I'll not spread rumours at the Clip 'n Curl." She added. "If Batman gave you that ring as a sign of his feelings for you, then as far as I'm concerned it needs to stay where it is." She added with finality, patting the ring as well as her hand before giving Steph a kiss on her cheek and diving back into the dressing up box.

o0o0o0o0o

Just as they finished sorting everything out so that Helen could start loading it all up onto the web, Frank wandered back in.

"Pumpkin. Exactly what _is_ going on at Rangeman?" he asked as he looked at the organised chaos laid out carefully around the dining room. "Do you guys need any money? We've got a rainy day fund that you could make use of." He said as he picked up her left hand and studied the ring he found there. "Nice..." he cooed happily.

"Daddy! You like?" she asked slightly surprised.

"Sure do. Can't believe he took this long to ask you though, the man asked me for your hand months ago." He said, a big grin spreading across his face as he remembered the conversation they'd had in his garage just after they'd moved in together.

"I mean it, Pumpkin. Your Mother and I would gladly help out our daughter and her future if we can. We want the best for you and it seems that it's all tied up with a man in black and a building on Haywood."

"Why, Daddy?" Steph asked as tears threatened to fall.

"Because we can. Plus I like him better than the cop." He added with a grin.

Steph stood dumbfounded until she heard a timer start to ping in the kitchen.

"Oh good!" Helen said, breaking the tension. "Chocolate muffin, anyone?" she asked happily as she headed off to get the goodies out of the oven.

o0o0o0o0o

"All Rangeman Staff, Conference Room One... please." Came Ranger's instruction over the PA system located on all floors of Rangeman.

Moments later a soft rumble of multiple voices could be heard uttering their confusion as their owners made their way to the unexpected meeting. Why were they being called and WTF – did Ranger use the 'p' word?

As the MM settled in their seats or stood at the back of the room, the main projector screen burst into life and multiple eyes from the three other offices started back at them.

"Are we all here?" Ranger asked as he scanned the room.

Tank looked round the room then nodded.

It was show time.

"Gentlemen. And Ladies." Ranger added as he greeted everyone. "Rangeman has been suffering due to the down turn in the economy and as a result we will have to make a number of changes. Stephanie, Tank, Bobby and Lester will become shareholders with immediate effect and their cash injections will ensure the future of this company in the short term. Bonuses will have to be scaled down and we will all have to watch what we spend, whether it be on bullets, uniforms or toilet paper. I won't lie to you, things are not good and without these adjustments we would all be out of a job. Even so, things will be tough for a while." He stopped to take a breath and to guage the reaction of those around him. He felt a small hand wriggle into his own and he gave it a squeeze as he looked at the intense faces of his men.

"I will be creating work groups to look at how to implement the changes that are neces..."

"I want in!" Hector said, interrupting. "Rangeman is home. My life." He added. "I have money. I give to my future."

Ranger looked at his employee with incredulous eyes. "Sorry Hector, w... what did you say?"

"You save my life. I want in." He stated simply before repeating his suggestion more fully in Spanish.

Ranger gulped then nodded. "This changes things" he said simply. Looking round the room he saw the same look on all the men's faces.

"Does anyone else feel as Hector does?" asked Steph. Most of the hands in the room went up, the only ones still down belonged to people who'd already pledged their committment. Ranger looked at Steph who replied with a knowing grin and squeezed his hand.

"Ranger, same goes for Boston." Slick confirmed from his section of the screen.

"Ditto" added Baron from Miami.

"That's a hat trick then" came the final voice of Charlie in the Atlanta office.

"Wow! I don't know what to say." Ranger said looking non-plussed.

"Then don't say anything." Baron suggested with a hint of pride and humour in his voice. "Rangeman is a family, Bro' and family takes care of its own." He added.

Ranger looked at the floor as he gathered his thoughts for several seconds then he raised his head and looked at Jacob "Is it do-able?"

"Fuckin' A" came the happy reply.

00o0o0o0o

Jacob Brickman walked into the bank as soon as the doors opened on Tuesday morning. He walked up to the Manager's Office and knocked on the door. It was opened moments later by a tall, lean man with a cautious face and a hardened eye.

Show time, the accountant thought as he followed the man back to his desk. He stared at the empty expanse holding only a blank A3 scribble pad, silver ballpoint pen, a computer, a phone and a name plate with "Grayson Little, Manager" on it in gold lettering.

He sat down and placed his briefcase on the floor then leant over and noisily released the catches before pulling out the large file the team had carefully put the finishing touches to only half an hour earlier.

"Morning, Grayson. On behalf of Rangeman LLC I have a rather surprising document for you." He said, as he pushed the paperwork across the desk. "I think you'll find that it makes for interesting reading." He added, tilting his head slightly.

The Bank Manager turned the file round and made as if to open it.

"There is a summary on the first three pages, but in a nutshell, your bank will continue to offer credit to Rangeman for future expansion, but it's main commitment will be to pay off all outstanding debts on the company's behalf then hold and manage the remaining sum of approximately $3.2 million that has been provided by all the named investors who will all become partners once the legal documents are in place. Our lawyers are currently working on this and we expect to have the whole deal finalised by the end of next month." He leaned back and smiled sweetly, steepling his hands as he did so.

"Well, well, well" Little replied, surprise written all over his face. He'd known Manoso to have luck on his side, but this was incredible. He nodded before adding "This is good news, Jacob. I will speak to my lawyers and make the appropriate arrangements."

"Very well." Brickman said as he stood up and held his hand out. The two men shook hands and the accountant left with a slight spring in his step.

o0o0o0o0o

Steph and Ranger were sitting at their dining table, surrounded by papers and the core team. It was Friday afternoon and they'd been going over the information supplied by the working groups they'd set up after the meeting earlier in the week.

"Looking good, Cuz." Lester said as he closed the forth file they'd been looking at. "I reckon we can make a significant saving if we implement Hector's suggestion and go with his preferred supplier."

Steph took the numbers he handed her and added them to the column on large white board that had been leant against the wall just for the purpose.

Just as she finished the phone rang and all eyes snapped to it. Ranger cautiously picked it up and made a series of hmm's and uh huh's in response to the caller on the other end. He put it down and dipped his head.

"Well?" demanded Tank, the suspense killing him.

Ranger looked up and a shit eating grin spread across his face. "We're in the clear, guys. Essentially the bank has agreed with the plan Jacob and the lawyers gave them."

Immediately Lester and Bobby starting whooping with joy and Tank and Luis joined in. Steph looked at Ranger who sat, rigid, in his chair. A Blank look on his face. She sat down and looked at him with worry on her face. "Ranger? What is it?" she asked, the rest of the group suddenly sobering up and freezing.

"I can't believe how much I fucked up and how you've all come to my rescue."

"Consider it pay back." Bobby said as he gave Ranger a lopsided grin and punched his shoulder.

Ranger looked up and returned the look. "Yeah, guess I should, shouldn't I?" He stood up and pulled Steph into his side. "I guess this calls for a celebration, doesn't it?" he asked as he turned and opened the liquor cabinet. Pulling out the last bottle of whisky that was in there he handed it to Bobby. "I bought this bottle with my first pay check at Rangeman." It was a very battered unopened bottle of the cheapest whiskey that money could buy. "I always thought I'd keep it as a reminder of my humble beginnings. I reckon it will taste far better than anything else I've drunk recently right now. Don't you?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the delay in posting this. I'm fully back up to speed healthwise but the medication I was taking really slowed me down, plus I just couldn't get this chapter to sit right. Anyway, after many hours of teaking and head scratching I've finally finished this story - I hope you like it!**

**Thanks for reading and for all your wonderful reviews - gotta love ya!**

Epilogue

Three days later...

"You spent _how_ much on a bottle of whiskey? And you had _three_ of them!" Steph whistled out incredulously as she scrolled through the inventory she was studying as part of her cost saving mission.

They were sitting in conference room one, surrounded by charts and graphs, lists and wipe boards. All part of Operation Pheonix as the 'mission' had been renamed.

"I was riding high and thought both I and Rangeman were invincible." Ranger replied, looking suitably embarrassed, as he lifted his head from the pile of paper he'd been working through.

"Wow!" was all Steph could say as she continued down her list.

o0o0o0o0o

The next three months saw significant changes at all the Rangeman offices as everything from the top to the bottom was scrutinised to see how it could be made better or more efficient:

Luis oversaw the building of additional accommodation in previously unused and somewhat ignored floors both in Atlanta and Boston so that staff could rent them at a lower cost than living externally. An extra benefit was that in the long term the central coffers would swell with the additional revenue.

Steph reviewed the client accounts for Trenton and decided that the existing quotation process was too complex. She developed bronze, silver and gold care levels so that all new customers could select the amount of security cover they wanted. Any additional individual requirements could be selected from a menu and bolted on. She also looked at the competition and decided that Rangeman was not charging enough so put up the fees for all existing clients by 10%. A few accounts grumbled but soon agreed to the raise when they realised they were still getting exceptional service for their money.

The new quote system and price raise were successfully rolled out across the other three offices and freed up time for the heads at each office to carry out more client liaison and customer care. This in turn led to new business opportunities and happier accounts.

Tank, Jacob and Ranger went over all costs with a fine toothed comb and made savings by implementing bulk purchasing across the whole company. This saw significant reduction in overheads without compromising on quality. They also renegotiated longer, less expensive leases, for things such as cars and agreed to beta test military kit for the army - they got everything they needed, included bullets, for free in return.

Randy Briggs was brought in on a short term contract to work with Silvio to develop new search programmes that were far quicker, more accurate and in depth than anything previously used. The net result was faster and more successful capture rates and the likes of Les Sebring started coming to them for assistance rather than the other way round.

Bonuses were capped at a maximum of $20,000 per employee and were paid on an annual basis, just before Christmas. Partners would get their annual profit share in the last week of June. However, if there was a loss, then they too would help shoulder the burden of paying it.

Helen raised over $32,000 from the Ebay bonanza as it became known and Ella sold the jewellery to a friend and made a further $11,000.

Toilet paper was still, happily, top quality and in plentiful supply and Ranger's sheets were still heavenly.

o0o0o0o

Another three months later...

"I think we need to celebrate" said Lester as he examined the latest quarterly figures. He looked up at the others round the table and then at the 60" monitor on the wall at the end of the conference room from where Boston, Miami and Atlanta could be seen, and waited for grunts of approval.

"Yeah, sounds good to me" Slick said chuckling "I think we should be rewarded for our efforts, after all, it's not every day we prove 'team work makes the dream work'." He was the most talkative of all the branch heads and tended to speak aloud what everyone else was thinking. "Does everyone else agree with Les?" he added so that all the other offices had a chance to make a comment.

A general rumble of agreement could be heard from everyone present.

Ranger looked round and then at Steph. "That settles it, the gyms are our biggest rooms so let's use these. Everyone who works for Rangeman plus their partners should be invited."

So it was, that a week later Trenton, Boston , Atlanta and Miami hosted their first ever full blown parties.

o0o0o0o0o

Ella put a list of jobs up in the operations room and asked for volunteers for moving and storing equipment through to setting up a wet bar and the dance floor. It filled in less than a hour.

On the day of the party it took just over three hours for the gym to be turned from a sterile, white room filled with nasty looking fitness inducing machines (Steph's words, not mine) and the heady smell of testosterone and sweat to one filled with dark corners, ambient lighting and pulsing music.

Stepping off the elevator, Steph looked up at her man, gave his ass a firm squeeze then disappeared into the mass of gyrating bodies that filled the once quiet space. Ranger just stood and chuckled as he watched her black jean clad legs disappear. Payback was a bitch he thought as he turned to go find Tank and Lester, thinking that whatever he came up with, she would still be wearing her mile high black satin FMP's.

o0o0o0o

About an hour into the party Ranger collared Steph who was munching her way through a plate filled with greasy, heart clogging goodies.

"Finally get my woman to myself" he said, sneaking a cheese straw off her plate and nibbling the end.

Steph smiled "Not a temple day, huh?" she asked as she slid into his side so that she could feel his heart beat.

"Babe, what were you going to do with all your money, if you hadn't have sunk it into Rangeman?" he asked nonchalantly as he pulled her to a spare seat in the corner of the room, sat down and pulled her into his lap.

Steph had been surprised that Ranger had never asked before but for some reason he hadn't so she never admitted the truth, just in case she frightened him away. "I was gonna set up a college fund for Val's kids... then I was going to suggest that perhaps we needed a Batcave with maybe a Batbaby or two." She replied, stuffing a garlic and chilli filled olive into his mouth before he could respond.

Ranger just looked at her thoughtfully and chewed his way through the spicy treat. "Really?" he said as he swallowed hard.

"Yeah. Does that surprise you?" she asked nervously, glancing briefly at the empty space on her left hand. They'd not discussed his proposal further so she'd taken the ring off, after all, they'd not officially gotten engaged so she felt it saved her from the Bonds Office Inquisition. Their relationship had not been hurt by her removing it, in fact they were now stronger than they'd ever been.

"Let's dance" Ranger said as the music changed to an up beat samba, releasing him from the need to reply. He kissed the back of her hand then tugged her up to join the sweaty throng, pleased that it allowed him to hold her close and feel her rhythm, while he computed what she'd just said. He grinned internally. He'd noticed the ring was missing about 2 seconds after she'd taken it off and he'd figured why. He also knew where she'd hidden it...

o0o0o0o0o

Steph was skipping behind Edna who was clutching onto Hal with a huge grin on her face and a look of terror on his, as they snaked their way around the room doing the conga when Ranger grabbed her just before the end of the evening. "Babe?" he said as he her over to the DJ who he motioned to stop the music.

Everyone turned to look as everything went quiet and the bright lights above the twin decks went on.

"Six months ago" Ranger said, pulling Steph into his side. "I let slip to Tank that I had a teeny tiny problem." He held up his thumb and forefinger half and inch apart then paused as he turned to nod in appreciation to his second in command.

"Thanks to a couple of bottles of ridiculously expensive bottles of whiskey and a huge hangover, I learned a lot about myself, my family" he gestured to all the people in the room "and Stephanie." He looked down and kissed her hair before returning to address the room. "I never knew you all cared so much for me and could be so loyal to the company you all helped make." He looked round "I'd like to raise a toast" he said, raising a beer bottle he'd put on the booth earlier "To the future and all who sail in her."

Everyone in the room gently repeated his words and those with a drink in their hand took some.

Ranger then kissed Steph deeply amidst cheering which went on for a few moments. "So." He added as he pulled away. The room calmed down. "This brings me to my next subject. My future. With Steph by my side." He slid down onto one knee and grabbed her left hand, and re-placed the ring he'd put there so many months before. "You said no, sorta, the last time I asked you, but I'd like to ask you again. Stephanie Michelle Plum, will you _please_ do me the honour of marrying me?"

All hell broke loose as she grinned and replied "absolutely."


End file.
